Resend vs SendGrid: which email API fits you
Pick Resend if you're a developer team sending transactional email, want React Email templates and a free tier that doesn't expire, or send around 1M emails a month, where it's cheaper ($650 vs $799). Pick SendGrid if you need an established suite with marketing campaigns, dedicated IPs and single sign-on included on Pro. Between 50,000 and 100,000 emails the price is effectively the same.
We build SendForAI, a third email API, so read this knowing that. Neither Resend nor SendGrid is ours, and every number links to their published pricing.
Side by side
| Resend | SendGrid | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 3,000 emails a month (100 a day), no expiry | 60-day trial at 100 emails a day |
| Cheapest paid plan | Pro: $20 for 50,000 emails | Essentials: $19.95 for 50,000 emails |
| 100,000 emails | Pro: $35 | Essentials: $34.95 (Pro: $89.95) |
| 1,000,000 emails | Scale: $650 | Pro 1.5M: $799 (no 1M tier published) |
| Overage rates | Published: $0.90 down to $0.46 per 1,000 | Not published on the pricing page |
| Marketing email | Separate plan priced by contacts ($40 for 5,000 to $650 for 150,000) | Separate Marketing Campaigns product |
| Templates | React Email (React, TypeScript, Tailwind) | Dynamic templates with an editor |
| Dedicated IPs | $30/mo add-on on Scale, above 3,000 emails a day | Included on Pro and Premier |
| Single sign-on | $150/mo add-on on Scale; included on Enterprise | Included on Pro |
| Email validation | Not listed | 2,500 validations on Pro |
| Inbound email | Included on every plan (counts toward quota) | Not compared here |
| Logs | 30 days on Free, Pro and Scale | Not compared here |
Cost at your volume
Transactional email only, using each provider's cheapest published plan that covers the volume. Resend includes its published overage where that's cheaper than the next tier; SendGrid doesn't publish overage rates, so its column is the covering plan.
| Emails / month | Resend | SendGrid |
|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | $20 | $19.95 |
| 50,000 | $20 | $19.95 |
| 100,000 | $35 | $34.95 |
| 1,000,000 | $650 | $799 |
Monthly USD before tax, read November 7, 2026. At 10,000 emails Resend's free plan doesn't cover it (3,000 cap), so both need their entry paid plan. More detail: Resend pricing and SendGrid pricing.
Which to pick
Pick Resend if
- your team writes email templates in React, or wants to;
- you send under 3,000 emails a month and want a free plan that doesn't expire;
- you need inbound email included on every plan;
- you're heading toward 1M emails a month and want published overage rates.
Pick SendGrid if
- you want dedicated IPs and single sign-on included rather than as add-ons;
- marketing campaigns need a full product with its own tooling;
- you need subusers to separate teams or clients;
- you value a long track record at very large senders.
A third option, if an AI agent sends your email
SendForAI is built for agents: the domain's DNS record is the identity (no API keys), every response carries its cost, and broadcasts wait for a human to approve. It's $5 in months you send (10,000 emails included), then $0.11 per 1,000. It's in early access, so it can't yet replace either of these for production sending. See all Resend alternatives or SendGrid alternatives.
Resend vs SendGrid FAQ
Is Resend cheaper than SendGrid?
Roughly the same at 50,000 and 100,000 emails a month ($20 vs $19.95, $35 vs $34.95). At 1,000,000 Resend's Scale plan is $650; SendGrid's nearest published plan is Pro 1.5M at $799. Under 3,000 a month Resend is free indefinitely, while SendGrid's free access is a 60-day trial.
Does SendGrid still have a free plan?
New accounts get a free trial: 100 emails a day for 60 days. After that you need a paid plan, starting with Essentials at $19.95 a month for 50,000 emails.
Is it hard to move from SendGrid to Resend, or back?
Both offer a REST API and SMTP, so the code change is usually small. The real work is DNS: you verify your sending domain again with the new provider (DKIM and SPF records) and let it build reputation before moving all your volume.
Sources and method
Read November 7, 2026: Resend pricing and SendGrid Email API pricing (sendgrid.com/pricing now redirects to Twilio). "Not compared here" means the pricing page didn't state it, so we left it out rather than guess. Spot an error? hello@sendforai.com.